School Readiness
Early Childhood
Video
Academic Redshirting, and Why It’s Not So Simple
Academic redshirting has benefits and disadvantages on a child’s development that parents should keep in mind.
Early Childhood
In These Laundromats, Adults Do the Wash, and Children Read (Video)
Librarians, early-literacy groups, and laundromat owners are combining forces to see if reaching out to families in places they frequent can help close the literacy gap between low- and higher-income students.
Early Childhood
Opinion
Should Children Be Ready for Kindergarten—Or Should Kindergarten Be Ready for Children?
Kindergarten readiness is highly subjective, but the concept has real consequences, writes Stanford University’s Deborah Stipek.
Early Childhood
How to Help Your Child Love Reading (Video)
Parents should read to their children. That's well established. But what's the best way to do that? Here's how.
Families & the Community
Home-Visiting Successes Explored in New Reports
Federal home-visiting programs received a $2 billion infusion earlier this year. Now advocates are taking time to show how well the program works for at-risk families.
Early Childhood
Redshirting Debate Just Got New Fuel with ADHD Study
A study has shown more diagnoses of ADHD among kindergarten students who start school just before a Sept. 1 school enrollment cutoff date.
Early Childhood
States Still Uneven on the Crucial Pre-K to Kindergarten Transition, Report Finds
Researchers with the Education Commission of the States note that a bumpy transition from preschool to kindergarten can cause problems down the line, but few states are taking a systematic approach to smoothing that transition.
Early Childhood
Practicing Kindergarten: How a Summer Program Eases Kids Into Learning
The start of kindergarten can be overwhelming for students, and for their parents. In Portland, Ore., a summer program is working to ease that transition.
Early Childhood
Video
Kindergarten Can Be Overwhelming - Some Educators Try to Ease the Way
Kindergarten isn’t just about crayons and nap time anymore – it’s serious academics.
Early Childhood
Video
Is Your Child Ready for Kindergarten? Are You? Tips From a Teacher
Preparing a child for kindergarten can be a daunting task for any parent. Beyond the challenges of managing separation anxiety, some may also try and get their children “up to speed” by teaching them the alphabet or how to count from 1 to 10. For families whose first language is not English there are also language and cultural barriers to contend with. But what are the most important skills on day one? In Portland, Ore., a kindergarten preparedness program offers parents strategies to help prepare their children to hit the ground running. Teacher Donna Shinagawa shares six tips with us.
Early Childhood
Opinion
Utilizing Research to Expand Early Childhood Services in Baltimore
Research findings yield new insights into how Baltimore's 'Judy Centers' already support and can continue to support early ed and school readiness.
Early Childhood
Opinion
Toward Kindergarten Readiness For Every Child
Research examines how Baltimore's early ed 'Judy Centers' improve disadvantaged children's kindergarten readiness.
School & District Management
Opinion
From Age 3 to Grade 3: How Atlanta Promotes School Readiness and Achievement
A cross-sector partnership works to develop the data infrastructure and research agenda required to support Atlanta's preschool to third grade system.
Families & the Community
Video
Parent Changemaker: Fighting for Teacher Home Visits
Single dad Paul Lumpkin had moved himself and his two children to Springfield, Mass., to begin life anew, after a bruising custody battle for his son and daughter. So he was understandably wary when his daughter’s kindergarten teacher asked to pay a home visit. He wondered if she had done something wrong in school. “I was expecting the worst, to say the least,” Lumpkin said.
Instead that visit, designed to encourage parent engagement, turned out to be “transformative” for Lumpkin and his daughter Key-Aurah. Getting to know her teacher informally helped turn the shy 5-year old into a class leader. Lumpkin became actively involved in his children’s education and then stepped up as a parent leader when the district decided it could no longer fund parent-teacher home visits - despite widespread parent support.
“I thought that if parents wanted it, then it was one of those things that they would find a way to make it happen. It was a rude awakening … because it didn’t work like that.”
His advocacy, and that of other parents convinced the district to find the needed resources. Lumpkin says his experience has taught him that as “parents, we need to establish our voice.”